It doesn't matter
by aemrith
Summary: Sarada comes home with bruises and cuts, surprising her mother and father. When they asked her what happened, the girl just pouted while obviously holding back herself from crying. An incident in the village tells Sasuke and Sakura that it seems, it'll take longer for the world to comprehend everything since not everyone is as accepting and as understanding. R&R! Thank you!


Title: It doesn't matter

Author: aemrith

Characters: Sasuke, Sarada and Sakura Uchiha [insert: Bolt, Inojin and Naruto]

Rating: K

Genre: Family

Summary: Sarada comes home with bruises and cuts, surprising her mother and father. When they asked her what happened, the girl just pouted while obviously holding back herself from crying. An incident in the village tells Sasuke and Sakura that it seems, it'll take longer for the world to comprehend everything since not everyone is as accepting and as understanding (I so suck at summaries, I don't think that'll ever change *sniff*)

Note: Sorry, this is my very first time writing a Naruto fic (though I've had tons of drafts, but none of them made sense, LOL) so please bear with me. _

xXxXx

Sakura just came out from the laundry area, the basket of clothing seemingly light as she tugs it closer to her waist. She's got her phone tucked between her right jaw and shoulder as she closes the back door, making her way to the living room. "It's the first time in weeks that I've managed a day-off Ino…" she scowls, "No, why would I wanna go out for a movie!? Go ask your husband!" and after apologizing casually, she ended the call.

She sighed unknowingly, placing the basket of laundry atop the coffee table.

The sound of familiar footsteps echoed through her trained ears. It's probably because of years of diagnosing people's heart-rates that her ears are suddenly more sensitive than they used to; but then again, she probably just got used to these footsteps all too well.

The front door opened, "I'm back." Sasuke said, ever so casually. You'd never imagine how odd it was for him to say these words the first time they started living together – now, it just sounds like something that comes out of his system automatically.

"Welcome back." She answered, her usual beam whenever he comes home is slightly brighter than usual. "Back early?" she asked, sitting on the sofa and starting to fold some of her laundry.

"Aa…" He paused. "The Kazekage isn't very happy about the idea of me leaving home for long" he said this with his usual '_like I care'_ tone while taking off his sandals. He then hangs his coat and shoulder bag on a hook near the doorway and makes his way into the living room. "Day-off?" He then plants a light peck on Sakura's head as he walks past her then towards the kitchen.

She actually laughed a little at Sasuke's remark about Gaara. Somehow, she's managed to understand how the rest of their batch is with Sasuke in general. "I've just boiled some water, do you want tea?" She said, also happy about the neat pile of folded laundry she quickly managed to do.

Sasuke then prepares two cups without saying anything. Sakura then continues with her folding. Soon afterwards, Sasuke was beside her, the teas he prepared were on the coffee table and he was sipping on it rather nonchalantly.

Sakura didn't mind it at first, but suddenly she felt like something was off. She gave it a few more minutes and when Sasuke remained quiet then she finally dropped what she was doing and looked at him, "Something wrong?"

As if caught off-guard for a moment, Sasuke looked back at her. "…Why?"

"You look like you're bothered about something." She said, quickly enclosing his face in her hands. Sasuke looks away slightly then looks back at her.

"It's… nothing."

Sakura would've looked hurt – the old her would just feel like she's being pushed away. But it's different now. After being with this person, entirely seeing through everything he is, she's seen way more than enough to understand that his façade is just that - a façade. And she's confident that she's broken down almost every wall within him, and she's not backing down. "Did something happen in Sunagakure?"

Sasuke didn't answer, but he did look away. It was something the he does that makes it easier to read him at times like these. Sakura was about to say something when their front door flew open, making her jump up from her seat. Who could possibly…?

"Sa…Sarada? What on earth…" Sakura started but she was cut-off after seeing the state her daughter was in. Her glasses were nowhere to be found, her clothes were slightly tattered – her usual buttoned up polo was slightly undone and her cardigan has blotches of what looked like smeared blood and mud. The girl's hair was slightly ruffled as well, and her face… a scratch on her left jaw, and a cut just below her right eye. Sakura was lost for words.

A second later, Sasuke was already kneeling in front of their daughter, his right eye already activated, startling Sarada a little but it's not like this is the first time she's seen her dad's eye like that. Sasuke's words were cold, and Sakura felt a shiver down her spine upon recognizing the lines as he said, "Who did this to you…?"

Sarada though, to Sakura's surprise, didn't flinch at all. Instead, the girl stared back at her dad, with possibly the same intensity if not more. Sure her eyes weren't activated, but Sakura couldn't believe how alike Sasuke and Sarada are at the moment.

"Why are they saying that you're bad?" This broke the sudden silence as Sarada spoke this loud and clear.

"I'm asking you… who did this to you…" Sasuke repeated, his words wavering a little.

"Answer me first Papa…" Sarada countered, "Why are they saying that you're bad!?"

"Sarada, let's get your wounds heal-…" Sakura slowly approaches her daughter and tries to hold her hand but she was cut off when…

"NO! I WANNA KNOW NOW. WHY ARE THEY SAYING YOU'RE BAD!?" The girl's eyes were suddenly filled with tears – like glasses half-filled with water.

Sasuke was taken aback. He loosens his grip on his daughter's shoulders - he didn't even realize he was holding onto her. His right eye was back to normal all of a sudden, and with a faint voice he heard himself speak, "Tell me…" he paused, "Who did this to you?" his question was still the same, but somehow, it's different all at the same time

"I did it to myself." The little girl finally managed, and with that Sasuke completely lets go of his daughter. He looked at her, not sure what to say.

Sakura found herself covering her mouth with her hand and quickly she kneels beside her husband, in front of their daughter, and takes her little hands in hers. "W…why would you do this?" Sakura asked, sending healing chakra over to her little one. She has done this many times, but this is the first time she's doing this much on her own daughter. Sarada has always been the careful kind of kid, and also very smart that she wouldn't do anything too silly that would put her in such a state… but right now…

Still holding back her tears, the seven-year-old Uchiha girl spoke, "I was with Inojin, and we found Bolt trying to get a cat that was stuck on a tree." She kept her stare on the ground while she felt the warm channel of chakra from her mother's gentle touch – it was quickly healing every single thing that hurts in her. "I'm not really sure what happened, but suddenly, some older kids started throwing things at Bolt – they hate Bolt for some reason, then they started teasing him and even Inojin too, and the cat almost got hit by one of the rocks they threw and… and…" the girl seemed at a loss for words, trying to control the heaviness in her chest

Sasuke was staring at his daughter, watching her carefully as she tries to make out the rest of her words.

She sniffed, almost as if catching her breath for a second, and spoke, "I just did what Anko-sensei did the other day – I saw her hands and just did what she did and suddenly, there was a smoke and before I know it the kids were throwing their stuff on me…" Her tears made their way down her face and Sakura tried to brush them but Sarada shook her head. "Inojin and Bolt and I… we were all just being thrown things at…! But really, they were throwing things at me, and those two idiots just wouldn't move away!" 

"Sarada..." Sakura spoke, managing to hold onto her daughter's cheek.

Sasuke on the other hand, felt like he couldn't fully comprehend what's going on – his head was suddenly filled with some childhood memories he didn't want to see again, and that incident at Suna just recently…

In between sobs, Sarada continued, "Then they say that I'm just like you. Since I'm an Uchiha, I'll be nothing but trouble." She sniffed, and continued while crying loudly, "They said that you're bad and that I'm bad too, and… and… right now, I'll don't understand. They keep saying that I won't understand… You're bad, and that'll never change – that's what they kept saying and they just won't stop!" She breaks out into full crying and Sakura just couldn't help it anymore, she pulled her daughter and embraced her as if her whole life depended on it. "Why are they saying that…?" Sarada yells in between her crying and Sakura could only try and send some calming chakra but even she herself isn't sure if she could calm down

"I'm sorry…" Sasuke spoke, obviously surprising his girls.

Sakura broke away from Sarada and the two of them stared at Sasuke with teary eyes. "Sasuke…?"

Sasuke looked up and placed a careful hand on his daughter's cheek. He started brushing it with is thumb, tracing a faint line of blood from where her cut was seconds ago before Sakura managed to heal them all completely. "You know Sarada… Papa… I…. I did a lot of things…" he started, looking at his wife before going back to his daughter. "Some of them… really, really, terrible things…"

"B…But you're… you're a hero too…" Sarada uttered, a little confused, "Uncle Hokage said so… Bolt too… and Kakashi-jiichan…"

Sasuke was nodding, still holding onto her face, "But I still _did_ bad things…. And some people… would not forget that" With this he pulled her close to him, hugging her the usual way he does whenever he comes home. "So I'm so sorry if you're getting dragged by what Papa did in the past."

Sarada was just crying and soon enough her dad pulled away and looked at her.

"But remember this…" He said, his eyes as intense as they were but without the redness she saw earlier – this time, Sarada noted, the redness were from tears that he never really wept. "No matter what I, or your mother, has done…" he let his words hang and waited for his daughter to comprehend every single thing he says, "…no matter how good or bad the things we did…" he paused again, waiting for her eyes to meet his, "don't let those things define who YOU are…"

Sakura took a deep breath and held onto their daughter's hand. She smiled and caressed her little girl's cheek, as if telling her that she's echoing whatever Sasuke is trying to relay

"You are you, and you shouldn't let _our_ past actions affect who you'll end up being, what you'll end up doing…" Sasuke felt his daughter's stare bearing everything inside his eyes, the amount of concentration she's putting into every word, as if etching all of them, committing them way beyond than just her memory. "We want you to grow up to be the person you want to be - and not just because you're a child of the Uchiha, or the Head Medic-Nin's daughter… You are Sarada, and to us, no matter what you choose…."

He paused, seeing his own reflection in his daughter's clear, dark eyes.

"We will always love you." He finished his words with these, and Sarada, still crying, pulled both her parents into a tight hug.

"They're wrong…" Sarada uttered, "They're the ones who don't understand…" Sasuke just held onto his family tighter while Sakura just tried her best to control her tears. "Papa's not bad…" Sarada cries, "They're the ones who'll never understand that."

xXxXx

Sasuke has just switched off the light in their daughter's room before stepping out and carefully closing the door.

"Finally asleep?" Sakura asked, placing two newly brewed teas atop the kitchen counter. "Naruto called. Bolt told him everything and he said that he'll make sure he gets a message to everyone." Sakura managed a weak smile, "He was actually very furious, suddenly ranting about how some parents just don't even have time to teach their kids some manners, heh… Funny 'cause Bolt gives him the biggest headache…" she let her words go on

Sasuke took a seat on a bar stool, and crossed his arms atop the counter. He was staring at the light smoke coming from the cups. "The reason why Gaara sent me home…" he paused, picking up his cup, "…was because some people in Sunagakure didn't like the idea of having me around." He took a sip, "They were… scared."

Sakura walked her way around the counter, finally standing just in front of Sasuke. Without words, she held onto his face and pulled him towards her, his face automatically finding that space between her neck and right shoulder. He buried his face on her, holding onto her tightly, like he always does. "We knew it would take more than a few generations to change people's minds." Sakura spoke, caressing his hair, "We knew hatred couldn't be dissolved so easily, and so is fear…." Her words were muffled sounds but to him they were crystal clear, "There're a lot of things that people aren't willing to let go of." She smiles though, "But no matter what, that won't stop us from pursing the happiness that _we_ sought and fought for." It's moments like these that reminds him that he's no longer by himself, huddled on a cold bed and pushing the darkness away. Gone are the days that he will sleep the worries away and push his insecurities aside in exchange for hate and power. Now, he has her to help him understand that it's okay to be vulnerable sometimes; it's okay to hurt…. Because things do get better.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, this time, his voice was muffled a bit. "I never wanted you or Sarada to be treated badly because of me." He gritted his teeth, "This family name, why did we even…"

"I'm happy to be part of this clan." Sakura finally spoke, still cradling him next to her, "I'll be mad if you say anything more than what you did."

"But this…" 

"This is our home. Our family." She then pulls away, enough for him to look at her face. "Nothing everyone else says matters. You said it yourself – Sarada, and even you and I, have nothing that we have to prove to the people who don't give a damn about us. They can say whatever the hell they want, all I know is that, I'm happy with our family. I won't have it any other way." Sakura then surprises Sasuke as she pulls one of his smirks, "We'll show them how wrong they are. Shannaro!" With that, Sasuke just shook his head and manages his own smirk.

xXxXx

The morning after, Sarada was surprised to see a familiar figure in the kitchen, but it's somewhat different. "…Papa?"

Sasuke turned around, temporarily looking away from what he was doing. "Good morning."

Sakura was sitting on the counter stool, already in her work-clothes – the only thing missing was her white coat. "Up early, sweetie?" she greeted a surprised Sarada walking to sit beside her. But before her little girl could take the chair beside her, Sakura effortlessly pulled her daughter towards her and sat the little princess on her lap.

Sarada looked even more surprised, but this isn't really new – her mother does a lot of random and affectionate things. "Papa's… home?" she said it in almost a whisper which gained a little chuckle from her mom. "That is Papa, right?"

Still laughing a little, Sakura spoke, "I thought I did a pretty good job, seeing as it's been a while since I've cut his hair."

Sasuke places three prepared breakfast plates atop the counter then proceeds to take off the apron before taking a seat opposite to his girls. He touched the back of his hair, feeling a little odd with the sudden bare feeling. "I've asked your Mama if she could trim it a bit…" he spoke, still settling with his daughter's stare, "It's odd?"

Sarada blinked – she couldn't remember the last time she saw her dad's hair as short as this. There was an odd familiar feeling, seeing his back hair naturally spiking out a little, and his face is now framed by his hair instead of just that one sided part she's used to seeing. She then remembers how her mother used to show her some pictures - and Sarada's favorite of them all was that really old photo of her parents' team when they were Genins. _Ah right._ She thought, _this is what Papa's hair looked like back then._

"Aaa… She's at a loss for words…" Sakura spoke, which Sarada caught.

"Papa looks cool." Sarada then spoke, remembering that old photo along with stories her mother and her silly Uncle Hokage tells her.

Upon saying this, Sakura laughed while Sasuke uncharacteristically covers his face with the back of his hand. "Isn't that nice Papa, our little princess thinks you're cool." 

"Just hurry up and eat, you'll be late." It was all Sasuke could manage and Sakura just kept laughing still, while Sarada smiles, taking her plate and noticing how her Papa remembers that she loves Omurice for breakfast.

xXxXx

As if having her Papa home and the Omurice wasn't enough, Sarada was thrilled to hear that her father's going to walk her to school that morning. Her Mama left right after breakfast, hastily kissing her and her Papa on their foreheads before she leaves the house and reminding them that she'll try to get home early. She was told to get prepared for school while her Papa dealt with the dishes and here they are now, walking together, hand in hand and a few blocks away from the academy

They kept walking and as they turned another corner, Sarada stopped on her steps and so did Sasuke, "Bolt!" she called out

"Oi, Salad-chan!" The little whiskered Naruto-look-alike beamed; the boy's smile froze a little upon seeing an unsettling stare from the tall man his friend was with. Bolt knew his Uncle Sasuke very well, but he still finds him… intimidating sometimes. It's especially weird to see Sarada with her dad, showing the same kind of face.

"I told you to drop that nickname." Sarada spoke with a pout then approaches the little Uzumaki. "What happened to the cat?"

"Inojin took it home with him yesterday, but he said that Chou-chan wants to keep it." Bolt spoke, his hands crossed above his head.

The kids went on with their talk when Sasuke straightened himself upon sensing someone suddenly beside him. "Still as stiff as ever, Teme!" with that, he felt a light whack on his back.

Sasuke managed a glare – he knew well this person's habits and that he would hit him, "Still as loud, Usuratonkachi."

The now Hokage beamed his usual wide smile, "Walking little Sarada to school? That's rare… And what's with the haircut?"

Brushing the latter comment, Sasuke rolled his eyes before saying, "What's someone like _you_ doing out here?" They started walking, following their kids just a few steps in front of them. One more turn and they'll be at the Academy gates.

Naruto has his arms folded atop his head – an exact copy of that little boy walking in front of him. "I thought I'd see Bolt to school today, and have a talk with the teachers." He looked at Sasuke, "About yesterday…" he let his words hang

Sasuke didn't look back at Naruto but he spoke, "About some missions…" he paused, shocking his best friend with the sudden change of topic, "I'll probably start taking ones that won't keep me away for too long."

Naruto blinked twice then he smiled and was about to slap his best friend's back again but Sasuke managed to dodge it ever so flawlessly. "Welcome back, idiot."

Sasuke showed his familiar grin, "Who said I left?"

They stopped in front of the gates as their kids looked back at them and Naruto waves at his son, "Don't get into too much trouble now, ya hear!?" He was yelling this, and some of the kids passing by the gates were giggling at him. Sasuke was shaking his head, _this idiot will never change._

Bolt pouted and Sarada tried to hide her laughter. "Tou-san, baka-dattebasa!" the little Naruto-look-alike stuck out his tongue and stormed his way inside the academy. Sarada, still holding back her laughter, fixed her glassed up her nose, turned around and waved back at her Papa before following Bolt. 

Naruto saw the little smile on Sasuke's face, and suddenly he was remembered of that time wherein they finally got Sasuke… the real Sasuke back. "You know what, I'm hungry."

"What about talking to the teachers?" Sasuke spoke, already walking back, his hands inside his pockets.

Naruto has his usual pout, "I'll do it later. Let's go to Ichiraku's!" he beamed

"I already ate."

"Then eat again!" His loudness, still very much like before, "Ah I know, let's bring some to Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke side-eyed him, "Don't bother _my_ _wife…_"

Naruto was laughing – somehow whenever he mentions Sakura's name, this idiot gets all murderous and Naruto actually loves it when the every so cool Sasuke gets pissed about it. "I'm calling Kakashi-sensei~" 

"What kind of a Hokage are you, exactly…?"

With that, the two of them walked towards Ichiraku, despite Sasuke's saying that he doesn't want to. As bothersome as it is, Sasuke admitted to himself that he doesn't dislike having these things around him. That no matter what other people still think about him, or even say against him, as long as he has these people around him that are willing to accept who he is now, then things can only get better.

Looking back one more time at the now almost unseen roof of the academy, the corner of Sasuke's lips turned upwards - he knows that his daughter understands that her story, her own journey, has just begun.

終わり

xXxXx

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you guys liked it, and if you did, I would love to hear from you so please just leave a review, long or short, doesn't matter~! THANK YOU ALL! - aem


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